Sister Indelicata left the cacophony of squeals and laughter behind her; the tall, hardwood door sneezed delicately shut, blessing the happy, healed family. Indelicata’s bare feet whispered swift and sure, softer than the guttering of the beeswax candles that provided more scent than light.
She caught the perfume of open sea before she saw it, and glided through the marble hallway to the worn spiral stairs and ocean access.
She shimmered; habit, wimple, and net slid free into the freezing waves. Flicking her mermaid’s tail, she dove.
Goodbyes were easiest if her charges never liked her to begin with.
© Liz Husebye Hartmann (2021)
Carrot Ranch Prompt (08/13/21): In 99 words (no more, no less), write a story, using cacophony. Go where the prompt leads!
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This one surprised me!
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Me too! Lol!
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Yay! It’s fabulous to read more about her character. She gets better and better with each. I feel there’s a wealth of stories hidden behind her habit and tail, both. Beautiful writing also, I love how the door sneezes closed, what a fabulously magical way to describe it.
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Thank you, Rebecca!
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Ooh, I didn’t see that one coming, Liz! 🧜♀️
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Oh, she was a mermaid and now I’m all weepy at her stoic idea of goodbye. This has been a fantastic tale of twins and healing and a guardian mermaid with a name lovely as a squash.
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A bit of Mary Poppins in this…
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